PLUMBING Center chain Wolseley overcame tough trading conditions with an 11 per cent rise in profits and a forecast of more growth.

The improvement for the UK business, which operates from 1,570 outlets, helped the worldwide group to post profits slightly ahead of expectations at £691.2m for the year to July 31, a gain of 15.6 per cent on last time.

Wolseley UK, which operates the Build Center and Plumb Center chains, has part of its head offices in Ripon, North Yorkshire, as well as a large distribution centre nearby.

Wolseley said its North American division contributed strongly to the performance, as profits from plumbing and heating rose 17.7 per cent to £296.5m, amid hopes the region will remain healthy as a market for the rest of the year.

In the UK, Wolseley said the repairs, maintenance and improvement and housing markets were expected to show modest growth with positive trends in government spending likely to have an impact on sales.

The forecast came after a year in which the UK division was said to have performed strongly against a slowing market, even though growth in the second half of the period was more affected by weaker consumer confidence.

As a result, sales from the division, which includes the Plumb Center chain, were up 11.7 per cent to £2.34bn.